Aspirin has been used as an anti-inflammatoric antipyretic analgesics from of old. It is in general orally administered in form of tablets, granules and so on.
However, due to the intestinal injury by Aspirin, its external application has been recently studied. The results are reported in Japanese Patent Pub. No. 3-72426, in Japanese Patent Pub. No. 6-72879, in Japanese Patent Pub. 6-183980, in Japanese Patent Pub. No. (Tokuhyo Hei) 9-503755, etc.
These techniques are; one which makes weight on transdermal absorption and does not take care of stability of Aspirin; one which secures stability of Aspirin for a short term, but was not necessarily satisfied for a long term stability; a method characterized in patches to be consumed once and very difficult to apply to preparations consisting of a pack which are often opened and closed, for example creams, solutions, etc.; such a case as in application to preparations, such as ointments, due to the presence of crystals the feeling on use is extremely bad and there is irritation by roughness and therefore, it is very difficult to apply to the region of injured skin like heat injuries. There are many points to be improved in these techniques.
Furthermore, there are disclosed techniques of patches containing Aspirin in Japanese Patent Pub. Nos. 8-104624, 8-104625 and 8-113531, but there are not disclosed techniques to stabilize Aspirin in the patches for a long term.
The literatures which describe methods for stabilization of Aspirin in preparations except for external preparations, are Japanese Patent Pub. No.56-32425, Japanese Patent Pub. No. 62-89619, Japanese Patent Pub. No. 4-346930 and so on.
Because Aspirin is readily hydrolyzed even in the presence of small amount of water and furthermore, by depending on a kind of additives the hydrolysis is accelerated, in these literatures in order to avoid to contact with the additive, it is disclosed to use the protective layer consisting of sucrose, or to use binders in which water was excluded as much as possible and to add a hydrogenated oil as a lubricant. However, it is hardly possible to apply such a technique to external preparations. For example, it is very difficult to make a protective layer between Aspirin and a base in ointments.
As such, in external preparations of Aspirin, the technique to avoid water to the possible extent in preparations and store in the package in which water is eliminated as much as possible in order to secure stability of Aspirin in preparing external preparations are found, but the technique to be applied to all external preparations and to secure the satisfied stability has not been shown.